Villanova led by 10 in Rome, then 20 turnovers handed Notre Dame a 74-72 comeback win to open the college basketball season.
College basketball’s 2026-27 season tipped off in Rome, a day after both teams met Villanova alumnus Pope Leo XIV, and for 36 minutes it looked like Nova’s party. Then Notre Dame flipped the script, turning a six-point deficit with under four minutes left into a 74-72 win in the Eternal City.
Villanova had the better of the opening half and went into the break up 35-31, while its traveling fans drowned out the Notre Dame section in the Palazzetto dello Sport. The Wildcats kept control after halftime, and with less than four minutes left they led 66-60. That looked like enough of a cushion to start the season 1-0.
After jumping passing lanes all afternoon, Notre Dame’s defense changed the game down the stretch. They finished with 14 steals, four from Gonzaga transfer Braeden Smith, and in the final minutes those steals turned into points. Brady Koehler’s dunk with 1:36 left cut the lead to 68-67. Seven seconds later, Smith picked off another Villanova possession, slowed the ball down and found Logan Duncomb wide open at the top of the key. Duncomb’s 3-pointer with 1:08 left gave Notre Dame a 70-68 lead, its first of the second half.
Villanova had their chances but couldn’t recover. Tyler Perkins, who led all scorers with 18 points, fouled out with 16.3 seconds left. Elijah Crawford got a look at a tying mid-range jumper in the final 10 seconds, and it rimmed out. Koehler then went to the line and made both free throws with four seconds left to put the game away.
The Stat That Decided It:
Check the shooting numbers, and you’d swear Notre Dame lost this one. The Irish shot 35% from the field, the kind of afternoon where the rim looks about six inches wide. Add a crowd that was pulling for the other side and a roster with 10 new players, and that’s usually a loss.
But Villanova turned the ball over 20 times. The Irish were in the passing lanes all day and finished with 14 steals. Braeden Smith was the ringleader with four, and his last one was the biggest of the game: the pick-off that set up Duncomb’s dagger.
Every one of those turnovers was a possession Villanova didn’t get to use and an extra chance for a Notre Dame team that badly needed them. That’s 20 points from turnovers for an offense that couldn’t buy a bucket otherwise. And that’s the story: the Wildcats shot their way into control, and Notre Dame took the game away from it one steal at a time.
Standout Performers:
Notre Dame
Brady Koehler, F — 16 points, 8 rebounds
Koehler was Notre Dame’s closer. With the Irish down five late, his dunk at 1:36 cut it to one, and he went to the line with the game on the line and made both free throws to seal it. On a day when shots weren’t falling for anybody in a gold jersey, Koehler made the ones that counted.
Braeden Smith, G — 16 points, 4 steals, 3 assists
In his first game since transferring from Gonzaga, Smith was everywhere on defense. He matched Koehler for the team lead in scoring, led the team’s 14 steals with four, and made the play of the game: a steal and a patient pass to Duncomb for the go-ahead three. That’s quite a first impression for a Notre Dame team breaking in 10 new players.
Logan Duncomb, C — 9 points, go-ahead 3-pointer
Duncomb doesn’t need a big stat line to make this list. His three from the top of the key with 1:08 left gave Notre Dame its first lead of the second half, and the Irish never gave it back.
Villanova
Tyler Perkins, G — 18 points
Perkins was the best player on the floor for most of the afternoon and led all scorers with 18. But he fouled out with 16.3 seconds left, which left Villanova without its top option for the final possessions.
Elijah Crawford, G — 12 points, 5 assists, 3 steals
Crawford was Villanova’s spark off the bench. The transfer from Illinois-Chicago gave the Wildcats 25 strong minutes: 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting, a perfect 4-for-4 at the line, and a team-high five assists, including setting up Perkins for a deep three. His drive to the rim with 3:37 left put Villanova up 66-60. The ending stings, though. With the game on the line and nine seconds left, Crawford got a look at a tying jumper that didn’t fall.
From the Stands:
Despite the distance, this game was not a neutral site, with most of the fans coming from Villanova’s side.
Villanova fans made the trip in force and far outnumbered the Notre Dame contingent at the Palazzetto dello Sport. For most of the afternoon, it felt like a home game at the Finneran Pavilion with better architecture. The weekend had already been a big one for the Nova faithful: on Saturday, both teams and their fans had an audience with Pope Leo XIV, the Chicago-born Villanova alumnus who inspired the whole event. The Pope wasn’t at the game on Sunday, but you could feel his alma mater’s pride throughout the building.
The Irish noticed. Head coach Micah Shrewsberry credited his team’s two preseason road games for getting them ready, saying it helped “because the Villanova fans were loud.” ESPN
The crowd also got a homecoming moment when Luigi Suigo, the 7-foot-3 Italian, checked in for his Villanova debut on home soil. One of his dunks came on an alley-oop from Elijah Crawford, which got the place rocking.
In the end, the loudest crowd in the building went home quiet.
Credit: @bydylanjohnson on X
Quote of the Night:
“We’re playing 30-some games this year. That’s one game. We obviously wanted to win. We should have won. We hurt ourselves at the end of the day, but we just got to stay together.” — Villanova guard Tyler Perkins
Spoken like a veteran. Perkins was the best player on the floor for most of the afternoon, and it was his three-pointer that put Villanova up 10. Afterward, he didn’t blame the trip or the jet lag. He owned it. “We hurt ourselves” is the 20 turnovers in three words. But the part Nova Nation should hold onto is the rest: it’s one game, there are 30-some left, and the response starts Friday against Holy Cross.
Up Next:
Villanova (0-1) opens at home Friday, Nov. 6, against Holy Cross, 7:00PM, ESPN+. It’s a chance to get the first win on the board and, more importantly, to take care of the basketball. Four days later, the Wildcats host La Salle on Tuesday, Nov. 10, in a Big 5 matchup.
Notre Dame (1-0) gets its home opener Thursday, Nov. 5, against Mercyhurst, 7:00PM, ACCN+. The Irish return to South Bend with a road win in their pocket and a new-look roster that already knows how to close.
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